The Man The Well and The Boy
by Vexed Wench
Summary: Dean's deal is fast approaching . He decided that he and Sam could use a little relaxation. Bobby finds them a hunt in Japan for kitsune. They meet with the local expert and after a freak accident, they find themselves in the feudal era of Japan. If Dean can adjust to their new surroundings and Sam being turned back into a four year old, they may just have the life they want.


Dean checked his watch and was glad to see it was almost time for his current torture session to end. By his calculations it would be over soon enough. He was still worried about the landing. It just proved that there was nothing he wouldn't suck up and just do when it came to Sammy.

He looked to his left side and was jealous of Sammy's ability to sleep. He didn't look quite as comfortable as he did in the Impala. Even now that he had the extra growth spurt and damn near had to fold himself into the car, he always slept like a baby beside him. Sammy liked to bitch about how much he disliked the old girl, but Dean knew better. They had spent most of their lives in that car. He would bet that if you asked Sam where he grew up, he would honestly think of the Impala first, no matter what lie came out of his mouth.

He longingly wished for his usual seat. He would even ride shotgun and let Sam drive at this point. Hell, a few more minutes of slight turbulence and he would be willing to even let Sam have full control of the radio.

The seats they were assigned were nowhere near as comfortable as Baby's. They were small and cramped, clearly not made for men of their height. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were soaring across the sky Dean tried to convince himself.

He had been worried about Sammy for a while. He was starting to look far worse for wear as the days were dragging on. Dean thought it should have been him that started to look that haggard. He was the one looking to spend eternity in Hell.

It wasn't that Dean minded selling his soul, he really didn't he tried to tell himself. He knew he was full of shit; he minded a whole hell of a lot. He just hadn't been able to think about going on alone. There was no way he could live, knowing he let Sam down. He had been taking care of the kid for as long as he could remember. It was his first job, and the one that mattered the most.

If only he hadn't stopped at that diner the night they snatched him. Maybe if he had gone in with Sam, instead of making him go order the food on his own. If only he had been quicker to find him, then Sammy would never have been on the sharp end of Jake's knife. Their dad had sacrificed himself for Dean. How could he do any less for Sam?

Dean wished he could've thought of someone else to blame for what had happened to Sam.  
He knew couldn't rewrite the past. He wondered what the price on that would have been if there was someone who could make that deal. He didn't have more than his own soul to barter with.

If Dean couldn't fix everything with his deal, the next best thing would be a mini vacation. Maybe then they could fix whatever the problem was between them. He knew Sammy was still sneaking off to see Ruby. She kept dangling that "I can save Dean" carrot in front of the poor dumb boy. It never failed to amuse him how anyone as smart as Sam could be so naive. He hoped they would be too busy while they were in Japan for Sam to even think about calling the demon bitch.

Dean was lucky the only job Bobby knew about was in Japan. Sam had always wanted to go there. When he first learned about hunting, Sam tried like mad to find interesting jobs over there. Their dad would never go for it. As much fun as those conversations were to watch, nothing beat Sam's junior year in high school. There had been a few cancellations in the foreign exchange program. Sammy should have been too new to the school to qualify, but his grades made him eligible. He had argued that the new kid wouldn't know normal anyways, so he should be allowed to do it. Their Dad wasn't amused by the thought.

"Dean, tell me again why we are doing this?" Sam asked when he woke and stretched as best he could in the small space.

"Because Bobby asked us to do it. We owe him this plus a ton more, Sam," Dean told him. He was cut off by the announcement that the plan was going to land.

Once the plane was on the ground and had pulled into the gate, the brothers made quick work of finding their bags and getting directions.

Bobby still had contacts in the area that he was on good terms with. He set them up with an elaborate cover story that Dean was hoping they wouldn't have to use.

"Do we know what we are hunting?" Sam asked him.

"Bobby said they weren't exactly sure. They think it might be a kitsune. Except that kitsunes tend to play pranks on people. This one hasn't really done much of anything. Whatever it is, it sticks around here." Dean shrugged and turned to walk up the stone steps that lead to the Higurashi home and shrine.

"You really think it has a claim on one of the Higurashi's?" Sam asked as they climbed.

"It has to be someone here or something they have. Whatever it is, it's attached to this family. Does it really matter how? Either way, we have to take care of it." Dean took a moment to look around and try to decide if Bobby had the right idea for a cover story.

It looked like the Higurashi home and shrine was more of a home than a shrine. He tried his best to study all of the background information Bobby had sent overnight to them. He couldn't keep all of it straight; he would have needed at least six weeks to learn it enough to be able to use it.

Dean was pulled out his musing when Sam walked up to an elderly gentleman, standing in the yard.

"Mr. Higurashi, I hope you can help us. My brother and I were told there is a spiritual based shop on the ground that we have to visit." Sam said slowly and clearly. He pulled out his wallet, accidently letting the old coot see his wad of cash.

Dean swore he saw dollar signs flash in the guy's eyes.

"We have authentic charms. Or were you interested in the demon lore?" The guy started to pull Sam towards a small building.

"Oh you have demon lore? My brother Dean is fascinated by demons. He reads everything he can get his hands on about the subject," Sam was calling behind him as he walked beside the old guy.

"You know about demons?" the old guy asked Dean.

"I know a little about a few. Sammy, here, is a boy of science and swears they don't really exist. That they may have been around in biblical times, but not anymore." Dean gave him his most charming smile.

"Ha, he should meet Inuyasha," a young boy announced from the corner.

"Who's Inuyasha?" Dean asked him. He figured he would talk to the kid as he knew kids made Sammy uncomfortable. It was only fair, seeing as he pushed the old guy on Sam.

"Inuyasha's my sister's friend. She's sixteen and thinks she knows everything. She's bossy and spends more time with Inuyasha than she does here with us," the boy complained.

"That's tough, little man. See the big goofy guy standing over there, he's my little brother.  
We've done that to each other before. It sucks now; well to be honest it sucks later as well. Believe it or not, you'll do the same to her in a few years," Dean said with a wink.

The kid rolled his eyes.

"So what's your name, kid? Mine's Dean."

"Sota… Anyway, I like it better when he visits us here. I wish I could go there, but I can't get there." Sota pouted.

"You'll be able to drive soon enough. Then you will be able to go anywhere you want." Dean grinned.

They were interrupted when a woman called out to Sota. Dean was confused when he mumbled about a car not fitting down the well. He tried to remember if he had seen a well on the grounds.  
Dean saw a teenage girl, however, make a mad dash for the shed and he had a feeling she was the key to what was happening. He had spent too many years hunting to ignore his feelings. A quick nod to Sam and they were both trailing the girl.

They stepped in the shed to speak with her and stopped when they saw she was sitting on the edge of an old well. Dean briefly wondered if the kid was psychic or if his sister often sat out here, before she ran off with her boyfriend. He was about to call out to her when she dropped into the well.

"Shit, that can't be good," Sam said as he pulled Dean over to it. "Hey, girl, don't worry we'll save you," Sam yelled.

"How are we going to do that, Brainiac?" Dean asked him.

"One of us has to lower the other one down to see how far down she's stuck." Sam explained his plan to his brother. "Well, get your ass over here, Dean," Sam snapped. "Now!"

"Yeah, not gonna happen. There is no way I am sending you into an old well without knowing what is down there," Dean told him.

"I'm taller so I have the extra height." Sam sounded like he wasn't going to budge.

"Sammy, that ain't happening." Dean could be just as stubborn. He wasn't going to put Sam at unnecessary risk. Not after he went through the trouble to bring him back.

Sam obviously never got the memo about keeping him safe, because the next thing Dean knew Sammy was hanging over the edge of the well.

Dean quickly moved to pull him back to safety. He struggled as something pulled Sam further into the well. The next thing he knew he was laying on the grass with the sun shining down on him.

"How'd they get here? I thought just you and Kagome could go use the well. Have you two been lying to us all this time? That isn't nice Inuyasha," some kid was yelling behind them.

"What are they?" Dean heard a girl ask. "They don't look dangerous. Kaede is waiting for you, Kagome. You want to take the kit with you?" Dean couldn't wait to show the mystery guy how non dangerous they could be. He was just about to do that when he heard a voice that he hadn't heard in years.

"Dean! Where's Dean? Dean!"

Dean thought he must have hit his head, saving Sam. That was the only reason he was hearing that. Crap Sammy, where was Sammy? Dean sat up and came close to knocking a toddler over. A toddler he would have recognized anywhere. "Sammy?" Dean asked, hoping he was crazy. There was no way his brother could have regressed backed to being a kid in mind and body. He even had on the same clothes Sam was wearing when they fell, they just fit his toddler body. It was hard not to notice he had on Sam's jeans, sneakers, and traditional layers of shirts and jacket.

"Who're you? Where is Dean? I want my Dean." The not Sammy kid looked like he was going to cry.

"Sammy, do you know your dad's name?" Dean asked, hoping he was wrong.

"John Win'ester, but he's busy now. My big brother Dean is in charge," Sammy said, giving Dean a look that clearly said "I don't trust you." Any other time, he would have been damn proud of the kid.

"Who are you?" Dean whipped his head around only to see something he had never encountered before. In all his years as a hunter he had never run anything that looked like that. He would guess he was eighteen and short. A lot shorter than himself and adult Sam. The weird thing was the guy had long thick silver hair, with some kind of animal's ears resting on the top of his head. He looked like some kind of guy and cat or dog hybrid.

"Look, Buddy, I'm not sure what the hell happened here?" Dean was trying to buy some time. He would have felt better if he had a decent weapon on him. He would have loved to have had any weapon. Also a clue about whatever the thing that was walking towards them was would be fucking awesome.

"Sammy, opossum," Dean hissed, hoping that Sam would remember the code for tuck and hide from their childhood.

"Why were you following Kagome?" The new guy asked.

"Kagome…? Oh you mean the chick? We thought she fell in the well and were just trying to save her," Dean told him as he maneuvered himself to stand in front of Sammy. He didn't see the girl. He wondered if she took off like the guy told her to. He wished Sammy would listen to him half as well as she did this guy.

"I want to know how you got here." The guy leaned close and Dean noticed he had large gold eyes. Dean thought they were too close to yellow for his liking.

"I want to know what you are," Dean demanded.

"Are you stupid or something?" the new guy sound both annoyed and amused to Dean.

"You sure as hell ain't human, Buddy," Dean practically snarled.

"Thank Kami for that. I am a yokai. An inu hanyo if you really want to know." The guy crossed his arms over his chest.

Dean thought it was almost funny that the guy was trying to look intimidating. He couldn't have been more than five foot five, maybe six at the most and skinny. There were models back home that would kill to look like him. "So, you're some kind of yousi something, does that mean you don't have a name? Where I come from people usually introduce themselves. I'm Dean and the little ball behind me is Sammy. I have no clue how we got here. I do know that well fucked my boy up somehow. When he dropped in the well he was over twenty years old and well over six feet tall." Dean was getting fed up with the attitude the guy had. It wasn't lost on him that he was now the lone voice of reason of the Winchester brothers. He had done it enough when they were younger, that he easily slipped back into the role.

"I'm Inuyasha. The girl you followed is Kagome. The small annoying ball of fur on my back is Shippo." Inuyasha seemed to relax just a bit.

"Shippo, is he an inu thingy like you?" Dean asked, trying to see what the other guy was talking about.

"I"m no Inu. Do I look like an Inu? I'm yokai, not a hanyo. My parents were both kitsune that makes me a full kitsune," a small voice called out from behind Inuyasha's back.

"Well, I'll be damned; you're the reason we came to Japan in the first place," Dean said.

"Really, you came from someplace far away? The only reason you came was to see me? You didn't travel to meet Inuyasha, or any of the other people in our pack?"

Dean saw a head with reddish orange hair with small ears and blue bow bob up and down just below Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Are you going to hide back there all day?" Dean called out. He really was curious to see what the thing looked like. Bobby had made it seem like finding one was harder than hitting the lotto numbers. Most hunters still thought they were nothing but legends.

"I'm not hiding, I just like being up here," the thing with the bow call back.

"Why, he's not very big," Dean smirked.

"Hey, I'm bigger than most people here," Inuyasha complained.

"Yeah right, Shrimpy, I have over a foot on you," Dean said to Inuyasha. "If you think you have a good view over there, you should try it over here," he tried to coax the little kitsune out of hiding. Dean watched as what looked like a live stuffed animal flopped down onto the ground. It had on little pants with a bow in the front and a cheesy furry brown vest. It looked familiar to Dean, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Peepers!" Sammy screeched and came barreling out from behind Dean to grab the not stuffed thing by the waist. It was the oddest looking thing Dean had seen yet. Sammy and his new playmate were damn near the same height.

Crap, Dean thought. That was where he had seen the thing before. Sammy had a stuffed toy that looked just like him. He dragged the damned thing around with him everywhere they went until the kid turned six and it got left in a motel room.

"Peepers, has you seen Dean? I woked up here and I can't find him," Sammy said grabbing the little kitsune's hands.

"Peepers?!" it squeaked.

"Sammy, I know it is a lot for you to understand, but I am Dean, your brother Dean. The same Dean I have always been," Dean tried his best talking to the crazy civilian voice.

"No, you are not my Dean," Sammy called out from behind the animal thing.

"Sammy, I know a lot has changed, but I need you to come over here." Dean stretched out his arms. He hoped Sam would run back to him like used to when he was little. Dean still wasn't sure what to make of the kitsune. He sure as hell didn't trust the silver haired guy. He was way too cocky not to have something to fall back on. Sam, his real grown up Sam, used to tell him he rushed into fighting the baddies without thinking about the consequences. He never did it when Sam was still his little Sammy. He knew without their Dad explaining to him, that if something happened to him, Sam would be vulnerable. There was no way he was going to let something eat his Sammy this time around.

"No I like Peepers. He is my fwiend." Sammy stomped his little sneaker on the forest ground.

"Well, how about you and Peepers both come closer to me," Dean tried for a compromised.

"I think they are good there," the inu thing spoke up.

Dean understood his objections they mirrored his own. He figured someone had to be the bigger guy between the two of them. _It had to be him for literally being the bigger man, then it had to be him… he thought._

"I guess you and I have to find a way to at least get along if they are going to stay glued at the hip." Dean sighed.

"The kit can take care of himself, but I know if something happens to him, the girls will never forgive me. So I might as well watch him," the other guy admitted.

"Girls, how many people are here?" Dean asked, looking around.

"I travel with Shippo, Kagome, Miroku and Sango," Inuyasha admitted as he walked over to where Dean stood.

Dean thought about how he swore Shippo could handle himself and it made him wonder about the rest of the people this guy could have with him. He suddenly realized that he was seriously alone. At least when they were little, there other hunters he could call if he needed help. He hated to call them, but it was nice to know they were there. They still had Bobby to count on when they needed anything. Here it was just him and Sam. Sammy really, and while he was always a smart and brave little kid, he would never be considered good back up.

"What happened to the girl? We couldn't have been that far behind her?" Dean asked, looking around them as they walked. He still wasn't willing to admit he was awake when she and Inuyasha were talking.

"...She remembered she had to see Kaede." Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders.

"This Kaede, you never mentioned her before." Dean guessed from the tone Inuyasha used she was someone he knew well. He took a gamble it would be a girl.

"Grammy Kaede lives in the village," Shippo told him. "Grammy Kaede'll like Sammy."

"Yeah, I'm sure she will like him," Inuyasha agreed.

"I'll still be her favorite, right?" Shippo nervously whispered.

"I'm sure your Grammy will still love you the most. No one will ever take your place. Grammy's are special like that," Dean whispered back.

"So, is she your mom?" Dean asked Inuyasha.

"No, she's an old friend. Lady Kaede doesn't have any family. Everyone loves her and treats her like family, and is very protective of her," Inuyasha told him.

"She must be something special." Dean whistled, before he continued, "How far away is the village?" Dean wished he had paid more attention to geography outside of the continental United States, although, he wondered if it would've really helped. He was starting to doubt they were in the same year they had left. Dean was starting to wonder when he turned into Alice when he wasn't looking. He shook his head to clear the vision of himself in her iconic blue dress and blond hair. That was not a look he was going to be in a hurry to try. Dean also wasn't sure he should wear something like the red getup on Inuyasha. He thought red seemed like a dumb choice to be wearing in the woods when he realized he had watched one too many Robin Hood movies with Sam over the years.

Dean saw the village and had to admit they were worse off than he had first thought. There was no way they were still in modern day Japan. He wasn't sure what to expect with the people Inuyasha had in his group and he wished the guy had given him more information than just names as he hated taking Sammy into unknown territory. Dean looked down and saw Sammy had moved around on his hip enough so he could see the kitsune... Hippo, no, Shippo. Dean still wasn't sure he wanted Sammy playing with that thing.

He should have known better. Sammy had always wanted to drag home every stray he could find. It used to drive Dean nuts. When Sammy got older, he used to try his best to bribe Dean in order to keep whatever small furry thing he found in various motel parking lots. Telling Sam they couldn't keep his newest fuzzy baby, was the hardest thing Dean had ever had to do.

"Inuyasha, what took you so long...?" the mystery girl stopped short when she saw he wasn't alone. "Wait… I know you. You were at my house. Why were you there? Did you follow me? Why were you following me?" she demanded.

"We had a job to do and needed information. We were told your grandpa would have the best information. As far as following you we were worried about some of the things your brother said when we met him. It was after that you fell down the well and we thought you were hurt. Sammy, here, was determined to save you." Dean thought that had to be one of the longest, not to mention most honest, explanations he had given anyone in a long time.

"I don't remember a little kid being with you." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"There wasn't one with me when we tried to save you," Dean snapped. "That damned well of yours did something to him. He was a grown, hell an overgrown man when he tried to pull you back to 'safety.'"

"I was never in any danger. Besides, even if I was, what could you two have done save me?" Kagome demanded.

"Sweetheart, we have saved all kinda people from all kinda nasty crap," Dean told her. He had been told off by all kinds of people and monsters in his life and a small girl in a school uniform could give even the hardest of them pointers, but didn't mean he had to take it from her.

"I think that is enough arguing for now. You say your brother was somehow turned back into a child,"said a man with long black hair. He was dressed a purple robe, and was walking towards them. "I've never heard a story about the bone eaters well being able to do that. Inuyasha, you should ask Kaede. Maybe it is something we can use to defeat Naraku." The guy's purple eyes were practically dancing at the thought.

"Naraku? What the hell is a Naraku?" Dean asked him.

"Naraku is the evil being we have been hunting," the guy explained.

"I can relate to that. Sammy and I have our own demon we have been dealing with topside." Dean nodded.

"Topside?" the other guy asked him as he raised his eyebrow.

"We fell through a well so this must be under where we were." Dean shrugged.

"Ah, that almost makes sense. Kagome never calls it anything but home or her time," he explained.

"Yeah, about that, is she the only one that can come and go through the well?" Dean asked.

"Inuyasha can go as well. The rest of us are fine being stuck here. From what they've told us, I'm in no hurry to see things topside." He grinned at Dean's expression.

Dean was trying to figure out if the purple robes he wore were any better than the red Inuyasha wore. He noticed the new guy was looking just as openly at him.

"So how do I get in touch with Katie?" Dean asked.

"Lady Kaede," he corrected, "is in her hut. I'm sure she will be out soon enough. She always welcomes visitors soon after they arrived."

Dean turned to see Sammy playing some weird mix of tag and red light green light with the kids from the village. He tried to remember the last time he looked that happy and carefree. Even when he was a kid, he still had to be on guard for the evil things in the world. Everything from ghosts and demons, to nosey neighbors and child services. Some days it seemed like they all knew the name Winchester. Speaking of names he thought it was about time he made yet another introduction. "By the way, I'm Dean and that is my little brother, Sammy." He waited for the other man to introduce himself.

"I'm Miroku. Nice to meet you." Miroku grinned.

Dean nodded and grinned back, before looking over to check on Sammy again and smiled at the sight. He was glad Sammy was adjusting so well to their sudden change. Not to mention his own change. He wished he had been able to spend a little time alone with him to see how much Sammy remembered from before. He wondered if there was any trace of Sam left in this newly de-aged Sammy.

"Dean, did'ja see me?" Sammy asked as he rushed over to him. "Me an' Peepers were the best ones out there."

"You were great, kid." Dean smiled and picked him up. "Sammy, you know your buddy over there isn't really Peepers, right?"

"Uh huh, he looks like him and sounds like him." Sam narrowed his eyes, just daring Dean to argue.

Dean tried to see if he could spark any memories from that day. "We accidently left Peepers in a motel room."

"Dean, is you really my Dean?" Sammy asked and smacked his forehead into Dean's. It was as if Sammy could look deep enough in Dean's eyes he would know for sure.

"Don't I look like your Dean?" He asked.

"Dean says never trust no one that isn't him. Well Daddy, I can trust Daddy. He says if he or Daddy act funny run and call Bobby or Pastor Jim," Sammy reminded him.  
Dean knew he had drilled that rule into Sammy's head as often as he could and was glad it had stuck.

"There's no phones." Sammy pouted.

"There are no phones, so you are going to stick with me?" Dean was proud of the little bugger.

Sammy shrugged and leaned back enough that his eyes were no longer threatening to cross.

"Promise me you'll be careful. If Peepers tries to talk you into anything bad, you'll come and tell me first. I remember when he tried to get you to store your gum in your hair. And what about the time he asked you to draw his picture on the walls?" Dean had heard the phrase "Peepers wanted to do it" more often than he would've liked when they were growing up. As bad as it was watching Sammy cry every day and night for a month, it was great to be rid of the little furry pest.

"I pwomise." Sammy sighed and turned himself around so his he could lean against Dean's chest.

They sat there for a few minutes while Dean enjoyed the silence. If he was honest with himself, he would have to admit he kind of liked Sammy being small and trusting him again. It had been too long since Sam had looked at him like he was the one with all of the answers. He looked up when he heard someone walk up beside them. Dean was surprised to see an old woman with an eye patch.

"You must be the new ones Inuyasha and Kagome were speaking about," she said and sat on the ground next to Dean.

"Ma'am, I am Dean and this is Sammy." He nodded at Sammy, who he was pretty sure was drifting off to sleep.

"Inuyasha says he was a man when he came after Kagome," she said, disbelief lacing her voice.

"I don't know how it happened. One minute, he was a full grown man in his twenties and he was bigger than I am too. Then the next thing I know, we were waking up here and I just knew he was my Sammy. I've seen plenty of crazy things over the years but this is a new one." Dean wondered why he was spilling his guts to the old woman.

"He's special," Kaede said, like that explained everything.

"What do you mean special?" Dean got a bad feeling and was pretty sure he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Aye, I can see it around him. It was stronger before and I think it's been fading since you both fell out of the well. I think that's why you were allowed to travel through it," she told him.

"Ma'am, you can see what on him?" Dean wondered what she was talking about.

"A kind of aura and since Kagome is the reincarnated version of my older sister, she could also tell he was special," Kaede explained.

Dean didn't want to call the old woman a liar, but that was a pretty farfetched idea about the reincarnated sisters. If he was wrong, it could be disastrous for both of them. If anything happened to one of them, the other would be lost. He already knew he couldn't live without Sammy around. The need for this trip was proof of that. If Sammy stayed a toddler, who would care for him?

"I can see it. Kagome could as well, if she looked," she reminded him.

"No offence, lady, but how can you both do that?" Dean was beginning to worry that the sisters weren't as human as he had thought. They did look human, but how many evil sons of bitches looked normal at first glance.

"There are no Miko (it's singular & plural) where ye come from?" She chuckled as if the idea was too farfetched to even consider.

Dean, even though he had no idea what she was talking about, simply shook his head.

"I have a pot of stew inside, why don't you both follow me?" Kaede said, changing the subject. She stood and waited for Dean to do the same and follow her.

Dean walked into her hut and was surprised to see how many people were sitting around with a bowl of stew in their hand. He realized they had met almost everyone in the room. The only one he hadn't was a woman in her late teen early twenties. If the situation weren't so desperate, he would been trying to get her attention. She put all of the Busty Asian Women in his magazines back home to shame. She was beautiful and held herself just as guarded as Inuyasha or Dean himself would have. He was willing to bet she had some kind of fighting skills. He noticed Inuyasha had taken the seat that Dean would've picked for himself. He had a clear line of vision of the whole room. No one would be able to get the drop on him.

His dad had drilled it in his head so many times when he was small, that somewhere along the way, it had become second nature. Always be able to see the entire room. Know your exits for quick getaways. The other one was always tuck Sammy into the bed so he was between Dean and the wall. When they got older and had their own room, he made sure Sam had the bed by the bathroom. There was no way he would allow Sam to sleep by the door and window.

He wondered who taught Inuyasha how to assess a situation. How many more things like him lived in the village? What other kind of youkai lived in the area? Were there more than just whatever these two were? He hated not knowing what was going on. He had grown slack over the past few years and allowed Sam to do most of the research. Hell, he liked that Sam was doing it. Research bored him. Their dad used to make Dean help when he was younger, and when Sammy was old enough Dean taught him. Sammy was great at it. Dean always thought in a few more years he could be Bobby good.

"Child, I brought ye a bowl with enough to share. You have yet to let him out of your arms." Kaede smiled and handed Dean a full bowl of stew.

"Thank you, ma'am. It's not an insult on you or your friends' character. It's just… well, he's my little brother. It's always been my job to take care of him." Dean hated to sound so emotional in front of people he still wasn't sure if he could trust or not. He took a bite of stew and waited a few moments to make sure there was nothing in there that could hurt either one of them. He knew he was being paranoid, but he tried to convince himself that he was just being practical. Dean ate another bite. It really was tasty stew.

"It's only right for you to want to protect your brother. My own sister was the same way when we were young," Kaede said from across the room.

"She was your older sister?" Dean asked as he fed Sammy another mouthful. He was happy to see the kid eat. He had been picky the first time he was this size.

"Aye, it was the two of us for the longest time until she met Inuyasha. Then the three of us spent time together." Kaede smiled.

"Inuyasha? You knew her when she was a child? How can that be? She has to be at least fifty. No offense ma'am. You don't look a day over, what, eighteen. How can that even be possible?" Dean was confused. He got another bad feeling in his gut. There was no way those two could be anywhere near the same age. Not unless he had had a lot of plastic surgery done. Maybe a crossroad deals to be that young and pretty at almost fifty.

"Feh, me and Kaede the same age? I remember when she was a little girl." Inuyasha laughed.

"Hush, Inuyasha, it has been a long time since we were that young," Kaede reminded him.

"I'm glad you understand," Dean said and ate a few spoons from their bowl.

"I do as well. I also have a little brother." The mystery woman finally spoke.

"Is he here?" Dean looked around for another kid.

"No, he is still traveling with Naraku. One day I will be able to free him," she explained.

Dean wondered once more what that hell a "naraku" was. It was clear that these people weren't thrilled with it. "I am sorry to hear that. Anyway, I'm Dean and this is Sammy." Dean thought this was a great time for introductions.

"I'm Sango. I am happy to meet you both." She smiled at him.

"If you guys don't mind me asking, what the hell is a Naraku?" Dean hated to be so in the dark about things that could potentially hurt or kill them.

"He's evil," Miroku said.

"Yeah, you mentioned that earlier. This Naraku thing has hurt all of you?" Dean really wished he had heard of the damned thing before.

"He has targeted each of us. He still has Sango's brother," Miroku said.

"Then why are you just sitting here, calmly eating stew? If some monster had stolen Sammy, I would be out there doing anything I could to get him back." Dean was shocked that they weren't doing something. He would have been a wreck if it had been him. He would have been chasing every lead no matter how unlikely it was to be real on the chance it could lead to Sammy's whereabouts.

"It's complicated and we can't pull the boy away at this point. All we can do it try to defeat Naraku and once he is gone, then we can work on repairing all of the evil he has done." Miroku sounded so matter of fact that Dean had an irrational urge to hit him.

"You, you're okay with some evil bastard having you brother?" he asked Sango as he held on to Sammy just a little tighter.

"We all have reasons to hate him. He cursed my family and I will never see old age if he lives. He stole Kohaku from Sango, after killing her entire family and the slayer village. He tricked Inuyasha and Kaede's sister Kikyo into thinking they had turned on one another. He then killed her and pinned Inuyasha to the Goshinko tree for fifty years," Mirko explained.

"I'm sorry." Dean realized he meant the words. In this time and place, he wouldn't have a clue about how to rescue Sammy if something were to happen to him. He grinned. "Well, it's good to know I'm not the only one brother problems," Dean tried to joke.

"No one has a bigger brother problem than Inuyasha." Miroku laughed.

"Does your brother live here in the village as well? I am assuming all of you live in the village," Dean wondered.

"No, he lives on the family land. He hates me so if you see him around the village you may want to run," Inuyasha said.

"Wow, really? Even when Sam and I weren't talking to each other, we still would've helped each other out," Dean mused aloud.

"Why would you not talking? I thought you loved the kid more than anything," Miroku said.

"We didn't have a traditional childhood. When he was four months old our mom was killed. It destroyed our family. At least that is what Sam always thought. He just wanted a normal life with a permanent house and one school system, until he went to college. He wanted to be a lawyer. He graduated high school and got admitted to a great school. Our dad was not happy about it and he and Sam had a huge fight. But Sam still went off to school and Dad and I continued the hunt. Then one day he went missing and I went to ask Sam to help me find him."

"What did you hunt?" Sango asked.

"Any evil thing you could think of, demons, ghosts, vampires, wendigos, and even a couple of shapeshifters, just to name a few things," Dean said.

"You come from a line of slayers," Sango wistfully said.

"Yeah, I guess we've slain all kinds of crap over the years." Dean wasn't sure why it was such a big deal.

"Dean, do you think you'll be able to travel back home?" Kagome finally spoke up.

"I don't think so. Though I'm not sure what we could do here," Dean admitted.

"I don't know how you hunt things where you come from, but I am sure you can figure out how to do it here." Miroku smiled at him.

"But then I'd have to figure out what to do about Sammy." Dean looked down at his sleeping brother.

"We take Shippo with us when we travel. But I am sure you could work something out with a village girl, if you didn't want to bring him along," Sango suggested.

"I can't leave him anywhere like that. You really take the little guy with you? Inuyasha said he could take care of himself so I am assuming he is a good fighter." Dean had wondered about that.

"He can do fox magic. At this age it really just lets him get away from something bigger than him," Inuyasha admitted.

"Ma'am, is there someplace I can lay him down?" Dean asked Kaede as he nodded to Sammy. She got up and showed him which sleeping pallet he should lay Sammy on. Tucking his little brother in, Dean decided to take a walk around the village to clear his head. He had to decide if they should try to find a way back up the well or just admit defeat and stay where they were. Dean had a feeling that the old rules weren't going to apply. He could get out of his deal and Sammy would still be alive. Could they give up the fight back home? He wasn't sure, but these people sounded like they had their hands full with the Naraku thing. He figured he might be able to help with that.

Could he raise Sammy in this environment? Did he even have the right to raise Sammy at all? Maybe by traveling back to the feudal era in Japan, he could give Sam the normal life he always wanted. He hoped everyone they cared about back home would understand why they were staying. Maybe if they were lucky they would even forgive him. Dean was beginning to feel hopeful about their future. Maybe the little group in there was just what they needed. He decided to ask Inuyasha about joining his group. Sammy always wanted a family… Dean thought as he made his way back to the hut. He was willing to bet their life would never be boring here. Now that he had thought things through, Dean was looking forward to the new adventures they would find.


End file.
